Israel calls on Lebanese to leave homes where Hezbollah stores arms as warplanes launch new strikes

[Pelican Press 0]

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******* calls on Lebanese to leave homes where Hezbollah stores arms as warplanes launch new strikes

JERUSALEM (AP) — The ******** military on Monday called on residents of southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate homes and other buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons and said it was carrying out “extensive strikes” against the militant group.

It was the first warning of its kind in nearly a year of

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and came after a particularly heavy exchange of ***** on Sunday. Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern ******* in retaliation for strikes that *******

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and dozens of fighters.

There was no sign of an immediate exodus from the villages of southern Lebanon

The escalating strikes and counterstrikes have raised fears of an all-out war, even as ******* is still battling the ************ ****** in Gaza and trying to return scores of hostages taken in ******’ Oct. 7 *******. Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes in solidarity with the Palestinians and ******, a fellow Iran-backed militant group, while ******* says it is committed to returning calm to the border.

Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy airstrikes targeting many areas Monday morning, including some far from the border.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the strikes hit a forested area in the central province of Byblos, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) north of the ********-Lebanese border, for the first time since the exchanges began in October. No injuries were reported there. ******* also bombed targets in the northeastern Baalbek and Hermel regions, where a shepherd was ******* and two family members were wounded, according to the news agency. It said a total of 17 people were wounded in the strikes.

An ******** military official said ******* is focused on aerial operations and has no immediate plans for a ground operation. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with regulations, said the strikes are aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ability to launch more strikes into *******.

Lebanese media reported that residents received text messages urging them to move away from any building where Hezbollah stores arms until further notice.

“If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, move away from the village until further notice,” the Arabic message reads, according to Lebanese media.

Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut had received a recorded message telling people to leave the building.

“This comes in the framework of the psychological war implemented by the ******,” Makary said, and urged people “not to give the matter more attention than it deserves.”

It was not immediately clear how many people would be affected by the ******** orders. Communities on both sides of the border have largely emptied out because of the near-daily exchanges of *****.

******* has accused Hezbollah of transforming entire communities in the south into militant bases, with hidden rocket launchers and other infrastructure. That could lead it to wage an especially heavy ******** campaign, even if no ground forces move in.

The military said it had targeted more than 150 militant sites early Monday. Residents of different villages in southern Lebanon posted photos on social media of airstrikes and large plumes of smoke. The state-run National News Agency also reported airstrikes on different areas.

An ******** airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday ******* a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communications devices, used mainly by Hezbollah members,

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, ******** 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000. Lebanon blamed ******* for the attacks, but ******* did not confirm or deny its responsibility.

Hezbollah began ******* into ******* a day after the Oct. 7 ******* in what it said was an attempt to pin down ******** forces to help ************ fighters in Gaza. ******* has retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict has steadily intensified over the past year.

The fighting has ******* hundreds of people in Lebanon, dozens in ******* and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. It has also sparked brush fires that have destroyed agriculture and scarred the landscape.

******* has vowed to push Hezbollah back from the border so its citizens can return to their homes, saying it prefers to do so diplomatically but is willing to use force. Hezbollah has said it will keep up its attacks until there is a cease-***** in Gaza, but

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as the war nears its anniversary.

******-led militants stormed into southern ******* on Oct. 7, ******** some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 captives are still held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be *****, after most of the rest were released during a weeklong cease-***** in November.

*******’s offensive has ******* over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its count. It says women and children make up a little over half of those *******. ******* says it has ******* over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

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Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

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